Author Archives: James Socol

Two Mistakes in the Monster Manual

There are two statblocks in the Monster Manual that have grievous errors and require correction. One of them is so surprisingly that most people are shocked to learn it, the other is a choice that unnecessarily detracts from the fun. Cats have darkvision. How on earth did they miss this? Real world cats have theContinue reading “Two Mistakes in the Monster Manual”

Phrases to Steal

I have learned a lot from watching other DMs at work, whether they are folks I’ve gotten to play with at home, or Actual Play DMs on streams or podcasts. Among the latter, I’m most familiar with three: Matt Mercer, Brennan Lee Mulligan, and Aabria Iyengar. They are all very different DMs—though they’ve clearly influencedContinue reading “Phrases to Steal”

Reverse-engineering Skill in TTRPGs

Part of a series, maybe? In which I reverse-engineer what I’m sure are basics of game design. A friend of mine recently picked up Blades in the Dark and we are eager to get into some heisty hi-jinks. Heists are hot right now. I just listened to A County Affair from Worlds Beyond Number, whichContinue reading “Reverse-engineering Skill in TTRPGs”

Where are the Non-Combat Mechanics?

In the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Chapter 8, “Running the Game,” specifically pages 242–245. Done. … Why are you still here? Okay, okay. A common-enough critique of D&D 5e is that it focuses most of its rules on Combat. Even if we assume this is true of the Player’s Handbook (which is actually questionable—in the PHB,Continue reading “Where are the Non-Combat Mechanics?”

Magic Item: Seethe

Cursed items are fun! For me, anyway. Seethe Weapon (greatsword), rare (requires attunement) This dark, jagged blade almost seems knapped from obsidian. A faint wisp of shadow trails from the blade. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you hit a creature with an attack, itContinue reading “Magic Item: Seethe”

Magic Item: Lionheart Blade

Image by Chris Devers on Flickr. The Lionheart Blade is mostly an uncommon item with a bit of lore that amused me. I did put it into a game—and will again—but I don’t think the PCs or players ever actually found out the story of it. So here, internet strangers, one for you to enjoy.Continue reading “Magic Item: Lionheart Blade”

PC Features “à la classe”

One house rule that I’ve offered to players in the past, and definitely will again, is a more flexible approach to subclassing, inspired by Pathfinder 2e’s “class feats.” So I thought I would give it a cheeky name: à la classe. A character à la classe is not limited by a single subclass, but canContinue reading “PC Features “à la classe””

The enduring grossness of “roll to seduce”

Content warning: this post is about sex in TTRPGs and how some behaviors closely mirror toxic real-world attitudes toward sex, coercion, and sexual assault. If you found this blog somehow, great, but please prioritize your own safety. I recently wandered into a discussion on Reddit (so my first mistake) about sex in D&D. Some ofContinue reading “The enduring grossness of “roll to seduce””

Magic Item: Circlet of Grounding

I thought I’d start sharing some of the magic items that I make up, because I love doing it. And some of them have themes or lore that I build them around that doesn’t affect anything so I think it’s OK if a player reads this. One that I particularly liked is the circlet ofContinue reading “Magic Item: Circlet of Grounding”